Summary Of Requiem By Anna Akhmatova
Jordan Lindberg
Akhmatova Explications
CIVT 200: Looney
Explication 1: “Epilogue I” Requiem: a Mass for the repose of the souls of the dead— a token of remembrance. Anna Akhmatova’s Requiem is a lamentation, a narration of grief-stricken oppressed during Stalin’s reign of terror. It is difficult to analyze single parts of Requiem, as each poem is vital to the other—one cohesive tale. The main body of Akhmatova’s Requiem is individual, Akhmatova focusing on the torment caused by her son’s imprisonment. Yet “Epilogue I” pulls the community in—the shared suffering. In “Epilogue I,” Akhmatova serves as a witness to the people, a witness to the faces that would otherwise be blurred and devoid of humanity. “I have learned how faces fall, / How terror can escape from lowered eyes” (Soldatow 8). Akhmatova and the crowds endured 17 months of standing, waiting, and hoping outside a prison praying for what seemed impossible: the release or even a glimpse of their loved ones. With each passing day, disbelief of the imprisonment grew and hopes died. Akhmatova became accustomed to this scene, learning to recognize the dire hopelessness of the weary faces. The people could only stay strong and keep their faces up towards hope for so long. …show more content…
She was prepared for something of this magnitude, and she knows she will have to deal with it as all mothers, daughters, and wives are dealing with their loved ones’ imprisonment: Akhmatova is not alone in this ordeal. So she continues: “I have a lot of work to do today; / I need to slaughter memory” (Soldatow 5). Akhmatova forces herself to continue living, to destroy the memory of what has been torn from her. Akhmatova must “slaughter” the memory: so haunting, so powerfully she makes the extent of what she must do to continue on. Akhmatova acknowledges she cannot simply forget, but must destroy the memory— tear it limb from limb to ensure her
Akhmatova Explications
CIVT 200: Looney
Explication 1: “Epilogue I” Requiem: a Mass for the repose of the souls of the dead— a token of remembrance. Anna Akhmatova’s Requiem is a lamentation, a narration of grief-stricken oppressed during Stalin’s reign of terror. It is difficult to analyze single parts of Requiem, as each poem is vital to the other—one cohesive tale. The main body of Akhmatova’s Requiem is individual, Akhmatova focusing on the torment caused by her son’s imprisonment. Yet “Epilogue I” pulls the community in—the shared suffering. In “Epilogue I,” Akhmatova serves as a witness to the people, a witness to the faces that would otherwise be blurred and devoid of humanity. “I have learned how faces fall, / How terror can escape from lowered eyes” (Soldatow 8). Akhmatova and the crowds endured 17 months of standing, waiting, and hoping outside a prison praying for what seemed impossible: the release or even a glimpse of their loved ones. With each passing day, disbelief of the imprisonment grew and hopes died. Akhmatova became accustomed to this scene, learning to recognize the dire hopelessness of the weary faces. The people could only stay strong and keep their faces up towards hope for so long. …show more content…
She was prepared for something of this magnitude, and she knows she will have to deal with it as all mothers, daughters, and wives are dealing with their loved ones’ imprisonment: Akhmatova is not alone in this ordeal. So she continues: “I have a lot of work to do today; / I need to slaughter memory” (Soldatow 5). Akhmatova forces herself to continue living, to destroy the memory of what has been torn from her. Akhmatova must “slaughter” the memory: so haunting, so powerfully she makes the extent of what she must do to continue on. Akhmatova acknowledges she cannot simply forget, but must destroy the memory— tear it limb from limb to ensure her